'You never realize the value of something until it's gone.' Anyone who has ever had trouble sleeping can understand how valuable a good night’s sleep is.

Although getting a good night's sleep may be easy for some, the reality is very different for others. The problem is only compounded when the same medication that is supposed to help you sleep causes many sleepless nights.

If you are having trouble sleeping after discontinuing your sleep pills, you may be suffering from rebound insomnia. Read on to learn precisely what it is, why it happens, and what you can do about it.

 is defined as difficulty sleeping following the abrupt discontinuation of commonly prescribed sleep medications, such as short or intermediate-acting benzodiazepine hypnotic drugs. The ease with which you fall asleep depends upon an intricate balance between neurotransmitters and chemicals in the brain.

Sleep medications temporarily tilt its balance in favor of pro-sleep neurotransmitters. For instance, 

, a class of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drugs, induce sleep by enhancing the effect of a neurotransmitter known as gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the brain and spinal cord.

This, though, does not come without a cost. As you continue to use sleeping pills, your brain adapts to increased levels of these neurotransmitters, which is why you need to continually increase the dose to fall asleep. Further, when you stop taking these pills, the levels of pro-sleep neurotransmitters drop sharply, and with your brain used to higher than normal levels, rebound insomnia ensues. This process, known as 

, is also seen in alcohol and drug users.

Examples of Benzodiazepines, and other sleep medications, 

Rebound insomnia can last from anywhere from a 

. The duration depends upon your susceptibility to withdrawal and the half-life and dose of the medication. The half-life of a drug is an indirect measure of the time for which it is active in the body. Sleeping medications with shorter half-lives tend to cause

, but fortunately, the effect is short-lived. On the other hand, higher doses of insomnia medication can lead to severe and prolonged rebound insomnia.

 than other forms of insomnia, such as acute insomnia and transient insomnia. Not only that, it's also associated with poorer quality of sleep going forward. This is because chemical imbalances in acute and transient insomnia are marginal and temporary. In contrast, the chemical imbalance is not only disproportionate but rebound insomnia is also associated with 

 in the central nervous system (CNS), which take longer to reverse.

‘Prevention is better than cure,’ is a sentence health professionals swear by and not without good reason. Thus, unsurprisingly, the best way to evade rebound insomnia is by avoiding sleeping medications altogether.

Give it time and let your body adjust to not having to rely on medications to sleep. Try to have a consistent wake-up time to aid your natural sleep drive in getting you back on track.

If, however, you are already taking sleeping pills, it's vital that you do not 

 their use abruptly. Gradually tapering the dose under professional supervision can help you prevent rebound insomnia. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can also help.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I)

 technique that can help you overcome insomnia and stay on track as you stop relying on sleeping pills to sleep. It is the best alternative to continuing to take sleeping pills.

CBT-I uses talking therapy that focuses on the idea that how we think, our habits, and our emotions are connected and influence one another. By challenging your thoughts, changing habits, and being more accepting of feelings, it can help you through the withdrawal phase as you discontinue your sleeping medication.

To learn more about rebound insomnia and how to counteract the effects of weaning off of sleeping medication with 

What is rebound insomnia? How long does rebound insomnia last? Read on to learn how to treat insomnia from abruptly stopping your sleep medication.

What is rebound insomnia? How long does it last? Read on to learn how to treat insomnia from abruptly stopping your sleep medication.

Rebound Insomnia: Definition, How Long it Lasts, Treatment | Dawn Health

Rebound insomnia

Your tired, sleepy body hits the bed and fifteen minutes later you’re wide awake. Alert. Anxious. Your anxiety about not being able to sleep deepens. You hear the neighbor's dog bark and feel your heart beating in your chest. You hear the faint whine of an electric motor and nervously fixate on it. The day’s worries replay in your mind.

Three hours later you look at the clock. It’s 2 AM.  You’re still not asleep and now the anxiety keeping you awake feeds a raging inferno of 

hyperarousal within your neurobiological and psychological systems

What is the link between anxiety and insomnia?

 It’s normal to feel anxious in response to certain stressors in your life, as long as that anxiety does not interfere with daily functioning for 

. The reason anxiety keeps you awake is because your brain’s security alert system is trying to protect you. When your brain feels your safety is compromised, it will opt for alertness over sleep, because in evolutionary terms there’s no point in sleeping well if you’re about to be devoured by a predator with big teeth.

The effect of this hyperarousal manifests differently in different people. Some struggle to sleep, no matter how tired they are. Others doze off, but wake up soon after and repeat this stop-start cycle throughout the night. Many lie awake for hours every night. Very often insomniacs get so desperate that 

So how do you convince your brain that you’re safe? How do you signal to your brain that it is prudent to switch off the hyperarousal and let the biologically unbreakable, adenosine-fueled sleep drive do its work?

overactive neurobiological and psychological systems

 The sleep drive is fueled by adenosine, which builds while you’re awake.  The moment you take a nap, you start draining some of that adenosine from your sleep tank. Try to keep that tank as full as possible during the day by not napping.

Set and stick to a fixed sleep wake-up time.

  Make sure you wake up at the same time every morning. You have an internal master clock called the circadian rhythm. The clock creates a cycling rhythm that makes you feel tired or alert at regular times of the day and night.  The good news is you can train your clock to follow a particular sleep-wakefulness rhythm by getting up at the same time every morning. Your internal clock responds well to this discipline and, with time, it adjusts to the behavioral changes you initiate.

Create a sleep runway before you go to bed

. Staying in full work mode and coming in to land with screeching tires is not a good strategy. Your mind requires a wind-down period before you go to sleep. Listen to soothing music because it makes you feel good. Read a fiction novel, work on a puzzle, or draw because you enjoy these activities. However, it is vital you do these things without any goal orientation. The moment you do something because you think it’s going to help you sleep, you’re defeating the purpose. Deliberately trying to relax and avoiding adrenaline put your brain on high alert.

 People with sleep anxiety disorder primarily fear the consequences of NOT sleeping. So how do you counter that? By acting as though you don’t care. When bedtime arrives, do not put in any effort to fall asleep. Let go of safety behaviors—all the obsessive things you do to calm yourself before getting under the covers, like getting the Sleepzilla eye mask and ear plugs ready and putting on your special sleep socks. These safety behaviors send a message to your brain that sleep is a big deal. The only way to stop your brain from getting the message, is to change your behavior.

Go for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia

 teaches people different ways of thinking, behaving, and reacting to anxiety-producing and fearful objects and situations. The American College of Physicians recently identified cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) as the 

. It improves sleep outcomes and reduces the risks associated with reliance on hypnotics.

 can help you overcome your anxiety and get a good night’s sleep. The Dawn app specifically connects you with CBT-I specialists and uses daily lessons to alleviate the anxiety that causes insomnia.

Learn how to cure your anxiety-related insomnia by 

Can't sleep due to anxiety? Learn how to sleep better despite anxiety keeping you awake with Dawn Health's guide on sleeping when you're feeling anxious.

Can't sleep due to anxiety? Learn how to sleep better despite anxiety keeping you awake with Dawn Health's guide on how to go to sleep when you're feeling anxious.

Can't Sleep Due to Anxiety? | Anxiety and Sleep | Dawn Health

How to go to sleep when you're feeling anxious

If you can’t remember the last time you had a good night’s sleep and you find yourself tossing and turning until the early hours of the morning, you are not alone. Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder, and some studies suggest that it may affect 

. When neglected, insomnia can have long-lasting effects on physical and mental health. It can be caused by several factors, including stress, medication, and an irregular sleep schedule. Researchers have identified three 

Chronic (difficulty sleeping for at least 3 nights a week, lasting for at least three months)

 proposes that predisposing, precipitating, and perpetuating factors contribute to chronic insomnia. 

 may include things that are out of our control, like genetics; it is important to note that, although there is not much that can be done about predisposing factors, they usually cannot cause insomnia on their own. 

can be classified as the short-term or serious stressors that lead to the first few restless nights, such as fighting an illness like a bad cold or a traumatic experience. 

 are those habits that are developed as a result of precipitating factors to cope with the first days or weeks of sleepless nights.

Depending on the severity, insomnia can be treated in a variety of ways. For example, a person with 

 can usually find relief if they adjust their sleeping schedule or eliminate distractions before bedtime. For more severe cases of 

, doctors may prescribe antidepressants, hypnotics, or benzodiazepines. The most common medications used are SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) such as Citalopram, Fluoxetine, Paroxetine, and Sertraline. Prescribing these medications for insomnia is often ineffective and has long-term side effects.

If you’re interested in CBT-I to treat your chronic insomnia, please 

Why do doctors prescribe antidepressants for insomnia?

Doctors may prescribe antidepressants for insomnia because they tranquilize the brain for a short period of time and balance the chemicals that are responsible for regulating mood. However, as many patients discover, the effects of antidepressants are short-lived, as they don’t treat the root cause of insomnia and instead focus only on the symptoms.

What’s more, the antidepressants prescribed for depression (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and tricyclic antidepressants) have a 

In the first weeks, antidepressants may also cause significant changes in behavior, including depressive and suicidal thoughts, especially in patients under the age of 25.

Alternatives to prescription medication for insomnia

If you have had an unpleasant experience with antidepressants, or you want to avoid the side effects linked to antidepressants, there are cures for insomnia without drugs. These non-pharmacological methods can help you restore regular sleeping patterns without the side effects while targeting the cause of the problem, not just the symptoms:

 has shown that up to 83% of people who engage in regular exercise report better sleep quality.

. Over-the-counter antihistamines used to treat allergies have sedative properties that induce drowsiness, and that can help patients with acute and transient insomnia fall asleep faster.

. A scheduled meditation routine helps to change how you relate to stress and worry, which will implicitly help with sleep. Structured relaxation techniques, such as progressive muscle relaxation, diaphragmatic breathing, and yoga, will allow for you to improve on how you deal with stress and worry.

Why CBT-I may be the best treatment for insomnia

CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) is a form of talking therapy that focuses on the idea that how we think, our habits, and our emotions are connected and influence one another. By challenging our thoughts, changing habits, and being more accepting of feelings, we can alleviate mental suffering. This modern approach to psychotherapy has been clinically proven to treat 

, such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, eating disorders, and substance abuse; according to the American Academy for Sleep Medicine, the American College of Physicians, and the European Sleep Research Society, it can also be effective in treating insomnia.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia

) focuses on the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that maintain insomnia, such as worrying that you’re not getting enough sleep before going to bed, or being frustrated that lack of sleep may be causing you health issues. The goal of CBT-I is to help you go to bed without these feelings of anxiety and frustration and fall asleep effortlessly, just like a person who doesn’t have insomnia. In clinical trials, 80% of people with insomnia who have undergone CBT-I reported better sleep in the end.

Dawn is a safe, step-by-step, evidence-based program that uses CBT-I to transform your sleep and regain your ability to sleep naturally. Backed by scientific research and many 

, Dawn offers a personalized sleep plan, tracks your sleep each night, and puts you in touch with a sleep coach who answers your sleep-related questions and keeps you accountable.

To learn more about how to effectively treat your insomnia without medication and why Dawn is the right choice for you, please fill out this 

 to start your journey to a restful night’s sleep!

Curing chronic insomnia without drugs is entirely possible. Read about various ways to overcome your insomnia without prescription medication.

Curing chronic insomnia without drugs is entirely possible. Read about various ways to overcome your insomnia without prescription medicine.